Iceburn, known later as the Iceburn Collective, was a musical group formed in 1991 in Salt Lake City, Utah, US, by guitarist/vocalist/composer Gentry Densley, the sole constant member through multiple personnel changes. They were known for their unique style that combined elements of jazz, heavy metal, punk, and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

. Releasing albums on Revelation Records and Victory Records, Iceburn achieved little mainstream attention, but earned critical praise for their unusual music.

Band history

Their early output could be classified as

jazzcore Punk jazz is a genre of music that combines elements of jazz, especially improvisation, with the instrumentation and performance style of punk rock. The term was first used to describe James Chance and the Contortions' 1979 album '' Buy''. Pun ...

, blending the speed and energy of hardcore punk and metal with the intricacy of jazz and progressive rock. For their first few years and albums, Iceburn were, for the most part, a classic " power trio" of guitar, bass guitar and drums. Around 1996, with the release of ''Meditavolutions'', a 70-minute continuous piece in the form of a musical

palindrome A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...

, the band began to go by the name the Iceburn Collective, to reflect the dynamic nature of the group's membership. The lineup expanded with a saxophonist, percussionist on conga drums, and a second guitarist. Critic Bret Love writes of the album, "the eclectic sound of this Utah-based septet flows so seamlessly that it may take a few songs before you realize you've never heard anything quite like it." The band gradually introduced more and more improvisation. By the time they disbanded in about 2000, Iceburn was a completely improvised avant-garde jazz unit, featuring saxophone and other woodwind instruments. Densley went on to participate in Ascend, a collaboration with Greg Anderson. Most of their albums featured artwork by Californian Rich Jacobs. Iceburn reunited for one concert in February 2007 to celebrate the 18th anniversary of ''Slug Mag'' (''Salt Lake Underground'', devoted to local music and arts), a longtime booster for Iceburn and Densely's music.

Discography

Albums

* ''Firon'' (1992), Victory Records * ''Hephaestus'' (1993), Revelation Records * Iceburn/ Engine Kid split cd/12" (1994), Revelation Records * '' Poetry of Fire'' (1994), Revelation Records * '' Meditavolutions'' (1996), Revelation Records * '' Polar Bear Suite'' (1997), Iceburn Records/Revelation Records * '' Power of the Lion'' (1998), Iceburn Records/Revelation Records (Reissued on vinyl by Southern Lord in 2009) * ''Speed of Light Voice of Thunder'' (1999), Iceburn Records * ''Land of Wind and Ghosts'' (2000), Mountain Collective Records MTN-CIA *''Asclepius'' (2021), Southern Lord

Singles

* ''Burn'' b/w ''Fall'', Victory Records * ''Moon'' b/w ''Brew No. 9'',

Art Monk Construction Art Monk Construction was founded by Eric Astor and Garrett Rothman in State College, Pennsylvania in 1993.Jason Cherkis"Duo makes punk work, even here", ''The Daily Collegian'', Jan. 19, 1995 When Rothman left State College to study abroad, Astor ...

* ''Leos'' 12", Lionhead Records * '' Zu/Iceburn - PhonoMetak 10" Series No. 1, Odin's Beard 10" split with Zu '' (2006), Wallace Records (Italy)

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Utah American post-hardcore musical groups American avant-garde metal musical groups Victory Records artists Revelation Records artists Musical groups established in 1991 1991 establishments in Utah